Every parent wants to protect their
child from upset and pain. Over the years I have tried my best to
'fix' things for my children but there will always be times when
events are beyond our control.
Twice Lisa has been airlifted off
mountains, more times than I care to remember Kris has told me
stories of horror from his life style living abroad. As parents we
want to be there for them, even when they are older we want to fix
things like we did when they were small.
Steve called me the next morning to say
that Lisa had to stay in hospital and could I come over to be with
her.
I thought I was strong as I walked into
the room. I thought all I needed to do was reassure Lisa everything
would be fine and we would have a relaxed day but the sadness,sorrow,
disappointment and tears I saw on her face had me sitting quietly in
the corner trying my best not to add my emotions to the maelstrom
that hovered over her head.
She felt fine, the baby was fine, but
caution dictated she had to stay for more tests.
Her dream of a water birth at home was now in doubt because a machine had said
yesterday that her blood pressure was too high.
We sat quietly as people went about
their business and then, because we knew we had to do something or go
crazy, we began to play Rummie Tiles.
For six hours we played game
after game, living in the moment, not thinking outside the game.
The tests came back and decisions were
made. Steve finished work and I went home. Lisa would be staying in
hospital until the birth.
At the apartment I realised it was now
up to me to finish off Lisa and Steve's baby shopping.
I popped to the shops for essentials,
(she will grow into it!!)
hung the heavy day light blocking
curtains in their room,
washed and dried tiny clothes and
sorted clean clothes for Steve!
By Saturday 24th of January
all that could be done was done and Lisa was induced into labour.
Feeling utterly helpless I took myself
out for the day to Marina Bay Sands.
A few weeks earlier Lou had sent me a
link to the amazing Gardens by the Bay.
Lisa and I had talked about
going so, with my phone fully charged in case anyone needed me, I
dropped the things Lisa had asked for at the hospital and with a
final kiss to her forehead, I turned and walked away to continue my
journey to the bay.
The underground bypass from the MRT to
the Gardens is quite incredible as mirrors and pictures of trees
bounce back reflections that move as you walk, giving one the
illusion of being in a forest (with a long straight tiled floor
through the middle)
At the far end the pathway led to a
viewing platform about twenty meters away complete with an escalator
for easy access. I rode the steps to the top and then just stood for
about twenty minutes taking in the views.
Behind me the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
rose in breath taking glory,
topped with its ocean liner style roof
said to contain some of the best restaurants and an infinity pool
that is back dropped by the entire city!
To my right was the huge wheel I had
first seen from the Mataji's balcony.
The glass domes of the tropical rain
forest or arid desert rose from the lush greenery of the park.
And directly in front of me were the
vertical gardens Lou had told me about!
An international competition for the
design of the master plan, held in January 2006, attracted more than
70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Two firms, Grant
Associates and Gustafson Porter were rewarded when their plans became
the winning choices.
In the two years since the gardens
completion, millions of plants had established them selves, weaving
their ways in and out of the framework, mixing and twisting and
supporting each other.
In the distance I could hear music but
in the distance I could also see a huge wall of rain bearing down on
my location.
I rushed down the steps as the first
few drops fell and was happily hiding along with everyone else by the
time the storm hit!
I stood watching the video screen that described
various art techniques from around the world. Bakti printing,
Indonesian wood carving and other things were explained step by step
like some wonderful discovery channel while the rain poured from the
heavens in sheets.
True to form, after our ten minute
deluge, the rain stopped and the humidity soared. I ventured out from
the shelter and headed towards the music that despite the storm was
still playing loudly.
I walked through walkways full of
poetry, stopping to read each one and vowing to buy the book they
came from.
I later found out that the book is way
outside my budget but at east I can read the poems on line!
I discovered statues hidden away in
quaint corners,
while others dominated the view.
Everywhere you looked there was
information about habitats, life cycles, nature.
This was a garden not only of beauty
but of education.
At the edge of the park is an area
called the Meadow and it was here that I discovered the source of the
great music I had been listening to as I walked. A music Festival
complete with wrist bands, bouncers and supporting tents had set up
for the weekend and looking at the assembled crowd waiting to get in,
it was going to be a busy event.
My curiosity sated I turned back to sit
along side a long fish pool with great pebble style seats.
Warm from the sun and incredibly smooth
these solid seats are surprisingly comfortable.
I sat for half an hour listening to the
band play and watching the fish swim enthusiastically towards anyone
who approached the rails.
Gaping mouths huddled together in the
anticipation of food. When the person departed, the fish would
disperse to search around the leaves and plants only to rush together
again as someone new approached.
I sent a text to Steve asking for news
and received one saying nothing yet.
I berated myself for calling. Leave them alone I told myself,
they have enough to think about without having to think about me.
I
put the phone into my bag and stood up to explore.
The vertical gardens were set in a
sunken area of the grounds, which made their height even more
impressive when up close.
A sky way walk linked two of the towers
together while in a third a sky top restaurant offered a free soft
drink with the S$18 entrance fee.
Around the base of each tower a smooth
wide sitting space had been provided with information once again
displayed for those curious enough to read.
The music from the concert drifted in,
birds flew from flower to flower, tree to tree as I wandered around
the bases and gazed up into the heights.
The rains had now completely stopped
although the sky was still grey. During the storm the sky walk had
been closed for safety but as the floor dried its closed sign was
removed and people once again began to climb the stairs (or take the
lift)
I purchased my ticket and took the
lift!
High above the tree line the views were
well worth the S$5 I had paid to enter.
Signs that informed people that
hanging over the rails was not a good idea and dropping things from
this height was potentially life threatening, stood along side a sign
stating that visitors had 15 minutes and no more on the bridge.
I wondered how they policed this
instruction as people meandered back and forth between the towers
looking down on trees that from this angle looked like flowers.
I took the photo of a lovely Australian
couple and stood happily as they returned the favour.
I spoke to some English people who had
arrived by cruise ship, highlighting some of the things I had seen
during my time here.
Through another conversation I
discovered there was a light show performance at 7.45 and 8.45 every
night and as there was still no news of the bump I decided to stay
until the evening.
I walked from one end of the sky walk
to the other,
and gazing over the trees to the
festival in the meadow.
I spent over an hour above the trees,
looking, watching, enjoying.
With nothing to do and all day to do
it,
I eventually left my place in the sky.
I wandered over to the water park where
children raced through jets of water orchestrated through music.
I wished I had brought swim wear too so
I could relive the joys of play with them.
Parents stood watching while their
children shrieked with happiness and I wondered how many of them also
wished to don swim wear so they could slide and race and play.
From the water park I walked between
the huge glass domes where a wood sculpture exhibition was on
display.
The dominant Lion King beside the
escalator was carved from a single trunk and as I gazed at the myriad
of colours revealed through the carving process, I was reminded of
the amazing colours the yew tree displays when made into furniture at
the Workshop.
Smaller lions crept along the steps
above the entrance giving the place the feel of the Pride Rock in the
Walt Disney film.
Upstairs sculptured ants crawled over
twisted trunks that had once supported huge trees in the rain
forest.
Benches made from a single plank of
impossible length lay scattered around allowing people to rest.
The thickness of the planks was superb
and I wondered how long they has taken to dry out let alone what they
weighted and how they had maneuvered them into position on the second
floor!
I treated myself to an ice-cream and
watched the huge waterfalls cascade over the greenery inside the
tropical dome. The pure size of these things is impossible to
describe, entire ecosystems exist inside the glass, while people,
resembling ants, walk along pathways suspended from the roofs.
From the domes I walked north to the
lakes skirting around vast areas of water where water buffalo hid.
Trees and buildings stood silhouetted as the light began to fade.
Three towers stood apart from the grove
and as evening fell I became aware of the coloured lights around the
bases of the three towers.
Pale purple and sliver reflected off the
leaves while shadows emphasized shape and silhouette.
I met a lone traveler and again we
swapped cameras for a photo shoot.
Behind me the fifty seven story Marina
Bay Sands roof top fanned out laser lights into the sky.
It unfortunately didn't
show up on camera but to the eye thin beams of light raced across the
cloudy sky, criss-crossing and turning in a magical pattern.
I met more and more people as the
evening fell and decided that camera swapping was a great way to make
an introduction!
I took turns with a wonderful family
from Japan to stand beside the growing green elephants laughing as
our first attempts as a photographer were not to our satisfaction and
we took more and more, zooming in and out until we each had about 20
shots to choose from.
By the time 7.45 arrived I had walked
and talked, photographed others, been photographed myself and was
standing on the platform awaiting the much anticipated light show.
Speakers announced the beginning of the performance, the lights faded and what followed can only be described as
brilliant.
Maybe I was emotional over Lisa, maybe
the entire day had taken my energy but as the music soared and fell
my emotions went with it.
Tears filled my eyes as the lights and music
drew me up to the tower tops, climbing into the sky only to evaporate
into the heavens.
Soft and tender music pulled at my
heart before it built into a mountain of rhythm that thundered around
the arena.
When it was over I stood as the crowd
departed. There was another show at 8.45 and I planned to be at the
base of a tree when it happened!
Quietly, as the crowd dispersed. I made
my way into the sunken garden.
I tried various tree bases until I was
happy with my position and lying back to gaze at the night sky I
rested until the next show.
Some girls from Malaysia and Australia
arrived and we pooled our knowledge on events around the area. After
the light performance there was a laser show over at the marina they
were going to.
I asked for directions and as the
speakers announced the beginning of the show we settled into our own
private worlds to embrace the spectacle.
This time as the crowd dispersed I was
with them and together we surged towards the towering building on the
far side of the overpass.
Entering the huge air conditioned
shopping mall after the warmth and humidity of the outside world was
a shock to the system but the views inside revealed another world,
not only in temperature but also in splendour.
Three floors beneath me a long canal
flowed beneath bridges where customers dined on fine cuisine.
Shops with names I have only seen on
adverts lined the walkways, while ladies and men dressed for dinner
walked with arms full of shopping bags.
At the far end of the mall, a glass
whirl pool dropped water into a shallow basin
as people ate at tables beside the
pool.
I followed the walkers through the
large doors and onto the lake side. Here steps doubled as seats and
judging from the amount of sitting people, the show was due to start.
I took my place as lights began to bounce from the platform beside
the infinity pool all those floors above me, onto the buildings
across the bay.
Boats motored into position as the evening spectacle
began.
After the music and art of the Garden
display I was disappointed.
As clever as the concept was, it did
not raise emotions or stir the heart. Water was pumped in huge
spraying screens from three fountains in the lake.
Projected onto
these virtual solid walls of water video footage of life from
conception to old age were shone. Still shots of children playing,
moving shots of people holding hands. Nothing was left to the
imagination and somehow I felt cheated.
Life was not perfect. The ideal they
were portraying possibly applied to a tiny minority of the crowd.
I
worried that young people would now struggle as they tried to aspire to this unrealistic
dream while we older ones would possibly look back on our solitary
adventures with a hint of failure.
At the end of the performance colours
undulated in amazing waves across the bay and I wondered why this
form of display had not been utilised more, allowing each persons
dream to dance upon the water.
There was still no news from the
hospital and it was now 10.30pm. Knowing there was nothing I could
do, I returned to the apartment and began to write.
Some time during the process I fell
asleep only to be woken at 4am with news that Baby Emelia Carol Fox
was safely in the world and weighed 3.2kg. She had been born two and
a half weeks early, still covered with her vermix coating, at 01.07
Singapore time on January 25
th.
As news flew across the
pond to the UK they were still living the afternoon of the January
24
th and for a short while a lot of confusion occurred!
I turned off the light and went to
sleep.
Tomorrow I would sort out my bag and get ready to move to
Little India but for tonight everything was just right in my world
and I could ask for no more.
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